(PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images.)
The Indiana Pacers decided not to re-sign Frank Vogel as head coach even though Vogel has guided the team to two Eastern Conference finals. According to Larry Bird (the Pacers’ President of Basketball Operations) a couple of days ago, they hadn’t begun their coaching search.
Well, they probably never had a “coaching search” because Bird decided to promote an assistant coach who was a former head coach at that. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical:
The Indiana Pacers are finalizing a deal to promote assistant Nate McMillan to head coach, league sources told The Vertical.
For the past three years, McMillan had been the top assistant to Frank Vogel. This will be McMillan’s third head-coaching job in the NBA, after stops with Portland and Seattle.
Indiana president Larry Bird declined to renew Vogel’s contract despite significant success on the job in five seasons as coach.
McMillan interviewed for the job with Pacers officials late in the week, was offered the job and the two sides were ironing out contract terms on Saturday, sources said.
I find this a little funny because Bird said “the team needed a new voice.” Well, the Pacers have had a pretty high roster turnover in the last few years. And if McMillan was a new voice, he must have been mute as an assistant the last three seasons.
Also, Bird wanted a more dynamic offense because the Pacers were a “plodding team.” McMillan’s teams were known to make the game C R A W L as they usually finished in the bottom five of pace. The Portland TrailBlazers of 2009 that McMillan coached did finish first in offensive rating even though they were last in pace. That team did have the wizardry of Brandon Roy and, gosh, I think I’m going to cry just mentioning his name.
McMillan’s coaching record is a tidy 478-452 (.514). The farthest he took a team was when the 2005 Seattle SuperSonics (I think I’m going to shed tears again) made the Western Conference Semifinals. I think he’s a decent coach but I’m just puzzled by the choice after all that Larry Bird has said.
Follow Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass for all tweets about the NBA and terrible pop music. Also, check out his podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental.
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